Saturday 26th

The forecast for today is not too good, though calm,  rain coming in after lunch.
Steve thought we could take the opportunity to check the sails again before the rain swept in. We now have the reefs in on both main sails and need to test them out.
We slipped the dock about 09:00 and motored out into Penobscot Bay, the sails were soon up and we were trundling along nicely.
Reefs in and out.....ropes up and down, Terje and i were surrounded by a mass of twisted lines. The jammers were on and off, winches whirring and whining, we were exhausted. The reef lines worked well, we had a few adjustments to make, but on the whole we had a pleasing morning......certainly getting to know Novara now and her idiosyncrasies.
We decide to head back to harbour, get the boat settled down and have a late lunch, homemade beef burgers.............made by my own fair hands !!!!!
Oh no say Steve and Terje.
On the way back in we played about with the "variable pitch" propeller, quite an art in itself, having never used one before it appears to be  "black magic" !!!!
After some head scratching we reckon we've cracked it, in harbour we need the pitch to be around 32 for low revs and when motoring any distance, a pitch of 37 at approximately 1600 revs, It does'nt sound much, but makes a huge difference to fuel economy, an important issue for us.

Yesterday was a lovely day and one of neighbour's went out to do some sea trials.
Belle Aventure is a Fife, 94 feet long, built in 1929 of Oak and Teak, she is just stunning.
A few photos of her just before leaving harbour :

A few last minute finishing touches to the shrouds:

 and away she goes

Weekend out

It's been a busy few days since the last blog report. We've had two birthdays to celebrate; Steve was 61 on the 15th April and Bryn was 29 on the 17th April.
We all went to our favorite hostelry for Steve's birthday, namely "Cappy's", they do excellent food (clam chowder being a specialty of there's) and have a good range of beers from local micro breweries in the region.
We have tried other bar / restaurants in the town, but find Cappy's to be the best for atmosphere, food and beer. The others tend to be a bit lacking in the atmosphere stakes, however, food in all is very good.
The people we have encountered so far have been extremely friendly and helpful, always good when you are away from home.
We had to stay on the boat last Tuesday and Wednesday night, as Wayfarer needed it for one of their employees to drive to Connecticut to attend a course. It was great to have out first night on board, we quickly settled in and all slept well. in the morning we woke to find 1" of snow everywhere. This was a bit of a nuisance, as we had planned to fill all the water tanks, not easy with snow on the ground and freezing conditions. The sun eventually came up and it was all gone just after lunch, so all the plastic piping we could find was jointed together and connected to the water main in the marina buildings.
Work on the boat has been going at a furious pace, most of the systems are now commissioned and running well. The only item still to commission is the generator, this was serviced quite recently by Wayfarer, so it should be no major problem. We now have hot and cold running water, a toilet (heads), a working boiler for the central heating and water heating. The sails are all back on board and in their correct positions.
Each mast has a Main sail and a permanently rigged "Trysail" (storm sail) on the main boom and a furling jib on the fore boom, 6 No. in total.
We noticed some nets on the foreshore near the waterfall / weir the other day and as we sat having a coffee in the Camden Deli this morning (Sat) we spotted 3 guys working on them, intrigued, we asked the guy in the Deli what the nets were for, apparently they catch "Elver eels", ( i think that's what he called them) they bring $1000 / Ib at the fish market and they go to Japan. It's a very strictly regulated operation , to ensure a sustainable population.

Elver eel fishermen

This weekend we got Novara out for our proper sail with the revamped sails on.

We anchored overnight in Kent Cove on North haven island.................this was the view at breakfast

North Haven Island

Saturday 12th April, an excellent day for a run out in Novara. Still no sails on as yet, they are still at the sail maker being repaired. 

Day break was about 06:00, we all got up, had a quick breakfast and got on the road for Camden.

What a stunning day, brilliant blue skies and beautiful sunshine.

A panorama of Camden harbour to prove the point: 

It appears we have a visitor too, this schooner must have come into harbour overnight.

All the necessary checks done, we set off for North Haven Island. An interesting chain of islands with a "thoroughfare" separating the North island ( North Haven Island) and the South island (Vinal Haven Island).
They separate West & East Penobscot Bay.
This is one of the most prolific areas i ever seen for Lobster pots, hardly surprising i guess, as the area is world famous for it's Lobster.
We carried on into the "thoroughfare" and found the an amazing place, where the rich & famous have their holiday homes :

North Haven township

Talk about being on "millionaires row" !!!!
Just amazing, what a time i'm having...........talk about the luckiest guy alive !!!!!



And so to the story of Morgan, not a factual account, just my thoughts:

Morgan - Ancient Britain - An introduction

Morgan was born in 960 AD in what is now known as Cheshire / Shropshire. He belonged to the Cornovii tribe, a long established group in this region. His father (Adaryn) was a land owner, in a small way.
He had a an acre or two of land, in which he grew vegetables, as a way to supplement his families food.
It had been left to him, when his great uncle Cymbaline had died a few years earlier.
Adaryn really worked for the local landowner, Crevan, not quite as a slave, but very close to it.
Morgan worked in the fields with his father, as his father had done with his father, and his father with his father and so on.
Life was good, they had food, lived well ,worked hard and they all enjoyed themselves.
Unfortunately, life was about to change, forever...................

Grand day out Steve

Up early this morning, out by 7:30, Steve decided we could have an "easier " day today.
As they say, early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise.
I've been up at 6:00 am most of my working life, about 40 years, so looking at this proverb, i'm beginning to think it is quite correct.
I'm fairly healthy and of course wise !!!!
If being wealthy means, living simply, doing what you love and having a brilliant family behind you ......then i'm a millionaire.

Into the Wayfarer courtesy car we jumped and away we went to the cafe in Camden for our first coffee of the day.
We sipped our coffee and discussed the issues for the day and how things are progressing on Novara.
Steve wanted to have a look at the sails, which had been taken away to be cleaned. They are only a few years old, with little wear on them, however, Steve has been concerned about the stitching on them.
Due to UV and the ravages of time / use, the stitching can become very poor.
Off we drove to "Aurora Sails" in Hope, about 3 miles outside Camden.
On the way we went through Charity & Faith.........would i lie ????
Andy was there to meet us and immediately had the fore mast furling jib sail out on the floor..........frowns and huffs and puffs emitted from Steve and Andy, eventually it was the consensus of opinion that double stitching was required and a couple of areas need repairs. The deal was done and Andy promised us they would be ready next Wednesday.
Next, off to Rockport to pick up some struts for the cockpit lockers and a letter from the "Watermaker" company for Steve sent to Grasshopper (Bill & Johanna's shop).
On Highway 1 we sped, then all of a sudden the car swerved into the roadside............i looking at Steve, he grinned and looked a bit sheepish........we've run out of petrol......oooooooooooohhhhhhh joy.
Luckily we had just passed a gas station, stupidly i volunteered to walk back to the station and get some petrol. I wandered back on Highway 1, vehicles flying past me in all directions, eventually i got to the station.
In i went, spoke to the lady behind the counter, she looked me up and down and quizikly queried, "which part of England are you from?............Blackburn ?"
No, i replied, but you're close; i live just a bit further North in Cumbria, how did you know that, i asked.............."oh, i have a penfriend in Blackburn and we speak now and then" she replied.
We had a good banter for a few minutes and then she whisked me over to the shelving and found me a plastic petrol can.
Excellent, 2 gallons of Gasoline procured and off i went back to the car.
We were soon back on Highway 1 on our way to Rockport.
New struts in the bag, then onto Grasshopper, Steve picked up his letter and i went to purchase some bread for lunch, really tasty sourdough....mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

Back to the boat to sort out a few issues before we have a day out tomorrow, excellent

The tool & spares inventory are complete............thank goodness for that !!!!!!
What a job, crikey, how can a boat have so many items on board :-)
Next job is to locate and itemize, the through hull fittings and skin fittings (sonar, forward looking sonar, depth sounder and log), problem being everything is hard to find. The boat was built as a one off and not much thought has been given to maintenance and ease of running.
However, Terje, Steve and i are onto it and will soon have it sorted.
Lovely sunny day , but cold in Camden on Monday. Pouring with rain and coastal fog on Tuesday, lovely again today, strange climate, but loving it here in Maine.
Had a bit of bad news today, my Auntie Shelagh has died unexpectedly, so i am a bit sad as i won't be able to make it to the funeral. Shelagh was a star and a great friend of my mothers, the end of an era...... sadly missed.
Big hugs to Kate my cousin, hope you're ok dude.


  

Excellent.......excellent, what a day we had on Sunday...............blue skies, bit of a blow (by the way Dave Slater, before you start the sails are away to be cleaned and re-stitched) we decided to have a run a round Isleboro Island....about 30 Nautical miles (Nm) or so. The wind was superb, about 5/6 on the Beaufort scale, but we had to engine all the way.
The day started well, we slipped our berth at Camden and proceeded north up the West Penobscot Bay channel, round the north of the island and back down the East side to Sabbathday Bay for lunch (being staunch Church goers !!!!! LOL).
Off we go again to traverse the island and eventually round the south of Lasell Island (a bit hairy this as there are rocks on both sides on the egress and the tidal flow can take you if you're not careful).
Morgan was at the helm though, so no major problems .........LOL !!!
We just followed the 65 foot (USA measurements) contour out back into the main channel.
Set a course of about 295 deg and back to Camden.
The wind was blowing from the North so we had a bit of an awkward run back to the pontoon, Steve is used to the bow thruster on Curious and the one on Novara is nothing like as powerful...............oooooooppppsss we very nearly took the electric stanchion on the pontoon. No great issue we quickly had her under control and safely bedded down for the night.
A GREAT day out on the sea................even though we had to motor all the way............she's a beauty !!!

The temperature was simply Tropical as you can see!!!!

 Selfie on the bow's

Terje looking for lobster pots 

!!!!!!!

Phew, i'm whacked

Hard day today !!!.
Sorting tools, spares, logging them in, finding a home for them, making a wooden frame to hold some of the larger items...................phew !!!
And........and...........i've just cooked supper !!!
Fresh ravioli (chicken & ham filling) and a home made arrabiata.....some left oers from the other day, loads of onion, garlic, peppers, chilli ??? mushrooms...etc etc
A whopper of a Ciabatta from the local supermarket...........gawd i'm stuffed....all accompanied with a good glug of chianti to wash it down.....mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm :-)

Now, here's an introduction to my old friend Morgan, i'm not a historian, so most of this is gleaned from the good old tinternet.
However, Morgan has confirmed that most of it is pretty close to the truth, so over the next few days / weeks i'll tell you his story :

"Morgan is a Patronymic name of Welsh, Scot, and Irish origin -- from an old Celtic given name (Morien in Wales) composed of elements meaning sea + bright. Morgan is one of the most common, and oldest of the Welsh names. There is a Scottish Clan Morgan established in medieval times with connections to the McKays, and was likely developed independently of the Welsh surname. The Irish version is from O'Murchan or O'Morghane, from the Gaelic O'Murchain." 

The Welsh given name Morgan derives from a hypothetical Common Celtic *Moricantos, with the first element probably meaning "sea" but the second element uncertain. It appears in Old Welsh as Morcant (pronounced "mo:r-GANT"), in Early Medieval Welsh as Morgant (pronounced "MO:R-gan" -- the "t" is most likely silent by this time), and in later Medieval Welsh as Morgan, the same form it has in Modern Welsh. [Bartrum, Bromwich]

At various times, the origin and meaning of the name has been popularly misinterpreted. During the Puritan period it was misunderstood as meaning "sea-born" (the same meaning as Morien below) and it was used to translate the name Pelagius in the Book of Common Prayer. [Withycombe] In the 16th century there are examples of the name as a surname being spelled Morgaine or Morgayne [Morgan & Morgan] in English contexts, which may be due to a confusion with the literary name Morgain (q.v.).
Iron Age tribes:
Morgan possibly connected to these
Cornovii - Cheshie / Shropshire
Cornavii - Caithness / N. Scotland"........

and so..................

So it begins, the work on the boat is now underway.
Today we've been full pelt, cleaning the workshop and preparing to sort the tools & equipment to go back into it. I have spent most of the day producing an inventory of all the tools and associated gear Steve and i took off the boat in January.
Gordon Bennett, there is thousands of dollars worth of stuff.
It took me 6 hours just to type it up on the boats computer, I know, i know..............one finger at a time, it would take 6 hours !!!
It's been a lovely sunny day, so of course the camera had to come out................and here is the result, i hope you like them.
Ooohhhh and we had a red squirrel just outside the window at supper tonight, how cool's that !!!!!
The weather forecast is good for Sunday, so we have decided to take her out for a spin.
As the engine has just been refurbished, we need to run her for 50 hours so the boatyard can do the first service on her, change the oil, check her over etc etc etc.

Some of you may have noticed that i have called the log, "Morgan - Ancient Britain", there is a reason for this.......all will become clear over the next few days.........so tune in for the next installment, to find out about him.
From the top
1/ the view across the harbour from Novara at the "Blue nose" schooners........they race these in the summer months
2/ the view of Camden across the harbour from Novara
3/ All the tools to catalogue laid out on the foredeck
4/ red squirrel at Bill's house

Novara - 5 year plan

The 5 year plan for Novara :

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B9cKcWqCSuwLcWxiRjUyQUY2Nm9hMmtJTDQ5ZVFrOE5KUXk0/edit?usp=sharing

Up, up and away we went, into the blue yonder.
There was a significant cloud base over Manchester when we took off, however, we soon came out above the cloud and wow......it was amazing.
Now, i have broken out of cloud before in an aircraft, but this was different. The clouds were just like big balls of cotton wool and as we progressed we went whizzing through them, just like the teddy bear on the advert for loo rolls !!!!
It made me realize how fantastic it must have been for my father, who learnt to fly on Tiger Moths just before WW2. The exhilaration must have been immense in the open cockpit, i could imagine him with a big grin on his face, what a star he was.
So, i settled down for the next 8 hours or so in the sky.
I checked out the films on offer and set about viewing as many as possible.
Delivery Man - enjoyed that one, funny and sad at times.
Hobbit, desolation of Smaug.........excellent, really enjoyed that.
Bits of others, which were to be honest......garbage, so i never saw more than 5 to 10 minutes of each.
Good landing at Philadelphia and then the nightmare, US customs and immigration, phew....slow.
They were not too keen on me staying for 2 months and insisted i had to be out by the 29th June. That's fine i thought, i'll be in Canada by then.
The next obstacle, my flight to Portland is cancelled !!!!! Gggggreat !!!!
Off i toddled to the information desk at US Airways and i have to say, they were brilliant.
In no time at all, i had a new flight booked to New York, then onto Portland, this was to make me 5 hours late arriving in Portland. This was not a mayor issue as we had a room booked for the night in the airport hotel.
I arrived in Portland around 23:00 hrs.
Off i trundled to the hotel, Terje had arrived about 2 hours earlier and was settled in, with a brew ready for me....good lad !!!
Steve, arrived an hour or so later and we were soon all fast asleep for the night.
08:00 hours and we are up and ready for breakfast, excellent spread set out by the Embassy Suites Hotel............mmmmmmmmmmmm. I think i had the best omelette i have ever had at that breakfast.The guy cooked it in front of me, ham and bacon pieces with spinach, cooked first in oil with an ice cube !!! Then covered with a plate, the ice cube slows the cooking down so they all cook at the same rate. The plate causes a type of vacuum and the spinach is steamed from the water......egg mix in last.........gorgeous !!!
Steve picked up the hire car and off we go to Camden to look at the boat, then onto Bill's house.
Bill and his wife Joanna had very kindly opened up their house to us for the month, while they are away !!!

The view is from Bill's front porch, it looks over Penobscot Bay ..........stunning !!

  

The more i travel , the more i love it.
The number of interesting and amusing people i meet seems to increase exponentially.
Bryn dropped me off at Manchester Airport around 08:45 on Tuesday 1st April for my flight to Portland Maine USA, bless him what a dude.
I meandered into the departure lounge with more back packs than Sherpa Tensing, wearing my Norwegian DALE woolen sweater.
Sweat pouring down my brow and thinking to myself, you muppet, i found myself stood behind a guy and his lady friend. She commented on my sweater and of course the craiche started.
Only turns out this guy lives in the US, but was originally from Lancaster, just down the road from me.
Unknown to me at the time, this guy was a friend of a friend..........weird.
As usual i got caught up in the security fiasco and had to virtually undress to my under crackers in front of the entire queue, belt off, trousers around my knees, boots off, there is very little left.
Then the security guard had the audacity to tell me i had'nt walked through the chuffing gate quick enough and he had to frisk me. Ooooo joy !!
Eventually onto the departure and a coffee consumed, all in the world is good.
Boarding starts, i have two seats to myself..........there is a god after all.